News

New IP Clinic Set to Launch in Spring Semester

The University of Dayton School of Law's new Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Law Clinic will help prepare students to practice in the areas of business and intellectual property law.

During the spring semester, the University of Dayton School of Law will offer a new clinic focused on preparing students to practice in the areas of business and intellectual property law.

The Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Law Clinic, organized by the Program in Law and Technology, combines the law school’s emphasis on experiential learning and its expertise in IP law.

Six students comprise the IP Clinic’s inaugural group. “They are focused in this field of practice and are excited to bring their learning to bear on real matters involving real client issues,” said Kelly Henrici, executive director of the Program in Law and Technology, who is teaching the new clinic. “And they get to build this clinic from the ground up.”

While Dayton Law’s traditional Law Clinic is designed for students who want to practice in a courtroom setting, the IP Clinic is geared toward students interested in working as transactional lawyers. The IP Clinic will provide students with experience drafting documents, helping innovators protect their inventions and aiding new enterprises select and protect their corporate structure.

Student associates will represent actual clients under the supervision of licensed attorneys experienced in business and intellectual property law matters. Students will meet with clients, perform legal research, draft memoranda and perform other client-related tasks.

Prospective clients include a number of University of Dayton units or offices, including the School of Business Administration, the Innovation Center, the Design and Manufacturing Clinic, the Office of Legal Affairs and the University of Dayton Research Institute.

Students in the clinic will also provide free legal assistance to semifinalists and finalists of the University of Dayton's Business Plan Competition. The clinic will help contestants with legal issues ranging from incorporation to filing for patents to protecting intellectual property.

“The innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity that takes place right here on the university campus is fertile ground for IP Clinic students to learn how to meet the needs of actual clients,” Henrici said. “There is a strong demand on campus for this clinic and a keen focus on cross-collaborative efforts.”

Students will also spend time in the classroom, providing them time to discuss their work and receive assistance or advice to move their projects forward.

For more information, contact Kelly Henrici, executive director of the Program in Law and Technology, at 937-229-4603 or khenrici1@udayton.edu.